lubbing minnies? size and dip or lube then size.

[hennigm4]

Is it best to lube minnies then push through sizing die or dip them after making the cartridge, this is pertaining to muzzle loaders.

Also what type of sizing lubbing dies are available for a .58 actually a .577. I have been dipping mine from the begining, I ran some old ones through my push through sizing die and noticed it filled all the grooves with lube, made it much cleaner looking, just not sure how if any it will impact the accuracy.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks,
Mike

[pastore]

Lubrisizer.

[Rich Foster]

Yeah a lubersizer is best. The problem with lubing them and then pushing them through a sizing die the die swedges the bullet and the lube can cause the bullet swedge smaller than size of die. A test to do is size a bullet then mic with calipers or micrometer. Then lube it. Then push it through die. wipe off all existing lube and re mic bullet to see if it is still the same diameter. If I plan to lube before sizing and I need my bullet to be .575 I push it through a .577 die. If I wipe off all lube it mics .575. If I take a lubed bullet and push it through a .575 die it is .001-.002 smaller in diameter. Rich

[Maillemaker]

Period Minnies were sized then dipped.

With a device like the Lyman Lubrisizer, you can do both at the same time, and you don't put excess lube on the bullets like you do with dipping. With dipping, any lube not in the grooves gets stripped off and wasted when you put the bullet down the barrel.

Steve

[pastore]

[QUOTE=Maillemaker;28463]Period Minnies were sized then dipped.

That could be because there were no lubrisizers then:(

[Blair]

Just as a note on my personal preference;
I have always sized the bullet to within .001 to .002 of and inch smaller than my arms minimum bore dia., then dipped the base in hot lube, once the cartridge tube is made up.
The excess lube comes off at the muzzle when I insert the bullet. I don't worry about that excess lube left on the muzzle.
Opinions on this method may vary greatly. This just happens to be my preferred method.

[ms3635v]

I lube first and then size with a push through sizer in my RCBS reloading press. Northeast Trader makes dies with a 7/8x14 thread that works great in a reloading press. George Gumpf also makes resizing dies. I collect the excess lube that comes off the bullet during sizing in a can and throw it back in the can that I use to dip my bullets...no waste. If you do a quick dip then the bullet is not dripping with extra lube. Just my opinion and preference...that's what makes this sport great, everyone has a method that works for them.

[RaiderANV]

Regardless of the method you use you want to avoid TWO things. You don't want any lube on the nose of the bullet as powder will stick to it and won't end up under the bullet. Same goes for living to far up the bullet. I size mine first then dip only the bottom two rings. The top ring catches a lot of fouling on it's will out the bore. Something hydraulics won't allow if it's full of lube. I've dug to many rounds out of my backstop and found it to be true every time. Also if you lube that third ring and insert into tube then lube is inside the tube of powder to also stick too. In the end your powder charge will vary with every round. Always loved the shooters that swore by 42.7 or 39.2 grains. Then you look and inside their tubes is a ton of powder stuck to the sides. So much for accurate charges.

[Eggman]

As I reminded you several times before PJ, if you load the powder FIRST, and then the bullet, you won't get any powder on the bullet nose.

[CAGerringer]

Size first, insert bullet into tube, then dip 3 times. Ensure that your lube contacts the top of the tube and you get a waterproof seal. Bonus!

Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[RaiderANV]

Eggs,,,,,,,,,,buddy. I swear you told me to do it the other way!!

[hennigm4]

Ok, lots of good ideas, sounds like what I have been doing is fine make charge then dip. Im using the Blue Grey bullet with powder charge done by weight. I have tested the weight randomly and it seems to = 42 grns consistently. Guess the rest is up to me.

Thanks for the tips,

Mike

[BillWeitz]

I also found lubing before sizing took about .002". This can be an advantage if you find your pounding the third round down the barrel, but if your not don't make then bullet any smaller and size first. After sizing and lubing I take a piece of 1/2" conduit and push it over the minies to scrap off the lube that other wise would pile up on the end of the Musket, plus I get to reclaim to lube. For my Smith I size, lube, then push the bullets into and piece of 1/2" copper pipe and just keep pushing them one behind the other as they pop out the other side nicely deglopped.

So it must take a really long time to advance from junior member or I need to update something.

-Bill

[Maillemaker]

So it must take a really long time to advance from junior member or I need to update something.

It's based on your number of posts. You have only made 12.

Steve

[Eggman]

Guys figuring out ways to take lube OFF bullets. What has the world come to????????? As Abe Lincoln said, "Malice toward none and lubricant for all!"

[Pat in Virginia]

Another way to take the lube off a .577 or thereabouts bullet is with a .577 Snider cartride case. I bore the primer pocket hole all the way through and insert a plunger into the case with the shaft sticking out of the back of the case. Helps your hands if you put a knob on the back of the plunger.

Use the same technique with .451 bullets, but with a different cartridge case of course. It's probably a 45-70 case sized down with a .45 Colt cartridge .452 sizing die.

If I though about it some more, I could probably figure out how to work the plunger that pushes the bullet out with my RCBS cartridge reloading press. But, it's really not that much trouble to do it by hand.

Pat in Virginia.

[jonk]

Well, I've now switched over to a lube sizer die for my RCBS lubramatic unit; which in and of itself entailed slightly opening the base where the moving die punch drops through, but it wasn't a big deal.

Anyhow, when I did size with a push through, sizing to .576 in my case, I sprayed the bullets with a 10:1 mix of alcohol and Lee case lube, let dry, pushed through, then pan lube. I cut the bullets out with a cookie cutter a machinist made up for me, with an internal diameter .578- just enough to leave a film on the whole bullet and yet not touch the bullet itself. This prevented lube build up on the sizing die, and avoided the issues of the lube sizing the bullet itself. Along with a bolt dropped in the top of the cookie cutter, I could cut and push out the bullets plenty fast.

I recently got a springfield 1861 with a .582 bore; I might have him make me up another cutter as I don't plan on using that in the skirmish as much if at all. In which case, as my fattest mold drops at .580, I would shoot unsized.